Detlev Karg

The use of alternative fuels, or so-called e-fuels, is being discussed not only at the European level. In the defence sector, there are initiatives to produce fuels for military operations without relying on petroleum, aiming to achieve a greater degree of independence. The same trend applies to electric drives, which can be integrated into hybrid powertrains. 

Germany and its NATO partners are rearming — and are expected to do so — in line with recent NATO directives and under growing pressure from the United States. European nations, in particular, are being called upon. For years, the two-percent target — which remained non-binding until the NATO Summit in Wales in 2014 — dominated the debate. Even after Russia’s annexation of Crimea that same year, many European NATO members, including Germany, continued to fall short of the goal. Only a few, such as Poland and the Baltic states, significantly exceeded it — for understandable reasons.